Rubio's Injustice: The Meaning Behind The Road

The gladiatorial games were an important part of the lives of those in Pompeii. But those in Herculaneum were most likely unable to enjoy the games as home as they did not have a place to hold them. Gladiators were POW’s, freedmen, criminals, slaves and some men who had fallen on hard times who would volunteer.

The Flavian Amphitheater, now known as the Colosseum, is a large amphitheater created in 80 CE by emperors Vespasian and Titus. The amphitheater was a state-of-the-art facility with a floor area (known as the arena) able to handle “elaborate hunts of exotic wild animals such as giraffes and elephants.” (Textbook 265) The arena could also be filled with a large amount of water to stage battles between opposing fleets of ships. The amphitheater was also home to fights between well trained men who were usually warriors captured in battle, forced to fight each other, wounding or killing for the enjoyment of huge crowds of exited spectators. The barbaric and brutal showed the less civilized side of the culture of philosophy. This structure is significant

The documentary “Colosseum – A Gladiator’s Story” recounts the story of the famous Gladiator, Verus. The documentary begins with Verus being brought to Rome to work as a slave, his gladiator training, and the day he gained his freedom inside the colosseum. The documentary not only gives the personal story of gladiator within Rome, it also provides a social and political glimpse within a pivotal time of growth and power for the Roman Empire. The documentary mainly uses reenactments with a narrator providing information throughout Verus’ story.

The film primarily focus’ on the role of the gladiator in Pompeii and the way they were treated by the higher class. The film Pompeii alters the position of Gladiators, giving the impression that all gladiators were only slaves, however historical sources state that, while slaves, criminals and prisoners of war made up the majority of gladiators, the title of ‘gladiator’ was not restricted to only slaves, but rather other citizens

It is nearly impossible to look at the field that holds the remains of the Circus Maximus and understand what it once held without the aid of a vivid reconstruction. The remains of Circus Maximus lie in the Valley between the Aventine and Palentine hill. Traditionally, the history of the Circus Maximus began with chariot races held in honor of the God Consus in a less permanent structure in the area near Consus’s altar. In later years, this lead to the construction of a circus under the first Etruscan king, Tarquinius Priscus around 600 bc. Previous to Tarquin’s intervention, an underground stream kept the valley swamp like. Tarquin diverted the water and drained the area and began to hold chariot races in the area. The

Gladiators have long been regarded as entertainers performing spectacles of great violence for an avid audience. Many scholars debate whether the gladiators could be considered athletes due to the stark differences between the Greek athletes of the Olympics and the Roman gladiators of the arena. There are many myths surrounding the gladiators. Most people think that the gladiators were savage and would fight each other to the death every time they entered the arena. Many people are also unaware of the training that each gladiator would undergo. The virtue of the gladiators is often brought into question because they are seen as vicious and thoughtless. In this paper, the true nature of the gladiators will be investigated by analysing the cultural context surrounding the definition of an athlete throughout history.

In ancient Rome the crazed dictator, Julius Caesar, came up with the idea to make slaves fight against wild animals or other slaves. These slaves, often unarmed, would get brutally slaughtered. During the reign of Julius Caesar tensions in the Roman Republic high tensions could shift power away from the line of Caesars. Caesar used these gladiators to entertain the middle class of Rome called the “Plebeians”. If the middle class remained entertained, he would retain power in his empire. The Roman Emperors used gladiatorial games to distract, control, and oppress Plebeians living during his reign as emperor.

“He has said so, Simon,” Falco returned, nodding. “He has since sent a missive to Rome, to the faction leader of the Reds. I should expect word by the new moon.”

Perhaps one of the most ambiguous characters throughout Roman society was the hated, yet beloved gladiator. Courageous and daring, the gladiators of ancient Rome risked their lives every time they stepped into the amphitheater. Although the popular presumption from movies such as Gladiator is that becoming a gladiator amounted to a death sentence, this profession did not automatically make them dead men walking. Two scholars Fik Meijer, author of The Gladiators: History’s Most Deadly Sport, and Mary Beard, author of The Fires of Vesuvius: Pompeii Lost and Found, project general mortality rates for gladiators based on statistics from dipinti and graffiti, concluding how often they died and amount of pardons granted. Scholar Susanna Shadrake

Do you know what our primitive ancestors used for entertainment? Gladiators were like TV for the Romans. A gladiator is a man trained to fight with weapons against other men or animals in an arena. Most Roman games were actually an import from Etruscans (Andrews).This paper will discuss why gladiators fought, how they fought, and who was the best gladiator above them all.

After all his successful victories one man named Marcus Licinius Crassus was sent to defeat him. Ellen Seiden

Basically, no matter what a gladiator did or how strong he was, death was always near. Hopkins says that it was not uncommon for gladiators to commit suicide or kill each other just to avoid being killed in the arena. In the film, Maximus is shown in a sort of celebrity-like light with the crowd often chanting “Spaniard” (because he refuses to tell anyone his real name) and screaming for blood. This was a reality for many successful gladiators. However, what is not accurately portrayed is the concept that is proposed by Proximo, the slave trader, of “win the crown and you will win your freedom”.

"Gladiators, Chariots, and the Roman Games [ushistory.org]." ushistory.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2013. <http://www.ushistory.org/civ/6e.asp>.

Instantly the wooden doors of the carceres burst open; four chariots dashed forth at full speed. The charioteers, in tight-fitting tunics and helmets in the colors of their factions, stood erect in the lightweight chariots, the reins looped around their waists, snapping the loose ends over the galloping horses. And almost instantly they’d dashed to the three tall pillars of the first turn, and only by fortunate chance was a deadly collision avoided at the outset. Then the crowd rose and shouted together. The familiar figure of Rubio, the blond Germani of Germania in the tunic of the Reds, shot ahead. His magnificent quadriga of Libyans had taken the Spine at one swift surge. The billowing dust cloud, as the other three chariots dashed after him, almost dimmed the sight of the race. The noise from the grandstand was deafening; the backers of the trailing drivers were in an agony.

It all started out a few years ago before the king's men raided small villages, they were taken as slaves. They were then sent to the coliseum as groups of slaves to fight for entertainment for Rome. Whoever could beat the champion of the arena would be released. The men that were didn’t know how to fight were the first